Humidifier for internal-combustion engines.



W, S. SHAWVAN. HUMIDIFIER FOR lNTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPucAnoN man 1.uG.30,1911. RENEwgD oc.2e.191a.

-Z'SHEETS-SHEET l.

.111x "l v l Patented Mar. 18,1919.

W. S. SHAWVAN.

.HUMIDIFIEH FOR INTEHNL COMBUS'TIDN ENGNES. APPLlcAlloN FILED Auaso, i911. RENEWED ocT. 26. 1918.

1,297,598, Patented Maf. 18,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 JL wif M Jmmmvewtofz WALTER S. SHANVAQ, C??V NEW YORK, Y., ASSGTNOR. BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE ESTA CDMPANY, OES BOSTN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATIGN OF MASSL CHUSETT Specification of Letcrs Patent.

Application tiled August 340. 1917, Serial No. 1823.904. Renewed ctober :26, img. Serial No. 259853.

Be it, known thaty i` iT-Airman 5l, Siiawvan, a citizen of the Vnited States, anda resident of the. borough of lilanhattan, cityE counlyx and State ot-cw York. have, invented an linprovemeut. in llumidiliers for lnternal- ("omhustion luifines, of which the following' v is a specification.

My invention relates to means for supplying humidiiied air to an internal Combustion engine. and has particular reference to supplying air which has heen humidilied hy contact with water to said entrino, as distin- `uished troni supplyingn air mixed 'with wat in as for insiance, water in an atiiuniyioi'l. state, or water in the. i'luid forni.

hiv invention is nariieularly'applicahle to fuel mixing' devices or carlnireters adapted io operate in connection nit-h engines designcd for variahlc speeds, wherein the car hurcter is supplied with a nluraiityoi air intakes. some having a fixed adjustment and others operating automatically according' to thel engine, speed. hut it, will he, understood thatI it may he. applic;1 io any forni of ifuel mixing' device. whether operated in eonnec tion with stationary or automotive engines, and whether using a liquid or gaseous fuel.

illy invention aims to provide ineaus .vherchy all ot' they air t: ken into the internal comluistion engine is huinidi'ied hy publnfl hioueh waier in a finely divided state, hut, it. will he understotnl 'that it, is possihlo to so arrange the apparaius that, only7 somo ot the air intakes of ihe angine are supplied with such humidili d air.

lu the drawings, l .have shown:

ln Figurey l, a sectional view oi one form oi' my improved device.:

ln lligs. 2 and 3, a side and sec-zional View, respoctiwly? or a diagfrainmatic forni of modification oi.' inv device; and

,ln Figs. l and a, a side and sectional View, respectively. oil a diagrramrn: tic representation of another modiieation of my invention.

ln IqeneralI- my improved apparatus consists in meansi'or 'iorniiner a wall of Water in a finely divided state ahout ihe carburetor. so that the air taken in through ith air intakes of the carhur-ecr must pass through said wall of waicr and thus hoconio humiditied. .lt evidentJ that this general apparatus may he varied in annmher of ways7 and l therefore do not wish. to linut myself to the precise forms shown and deserihcd, since many modifications may be made withoutv departing from the, spirit, of

my invcnizion.

il convenient method of accomplishing ilus result is to inciose the carburetor in an aperiured chamber and ar ang-e thenieans for forming a wall ot" water in a finely divided' sate, in front of said apertures and .between said apertures and the air intakes of the carhuretcr.

fhilel prefer to use ordinary water in. connection with my apparatus, it. is entirely possihle to use. the same in connection with other fluids, it desired. and l therefore do not wish to liniit myself to the use of Water alone` in niv device.v

ln Fig. L have diagrammatically inclicatcfl an internal 4combustion engine as l, said internal combustion engine, heilig supplied with the usual intake manifold 2. Connecied to the 'intake manifold is a carinii-eter which may he of any suitable kind and is provided with an air intake, 4, vand an auxiliary air intake 5 operating against the spring (l in the usual manner. Fuel is supplied to thc carburetor through pipe 7 and the earlnu'eter has the usual float chamhcr tl. mixing: ehaxnher fl 'and spray nozzlo i0. Surroin'nling the carburetor 3 is the apcriured chaniher 1l. closed aty the. top and bottoni. and provided with a plurality of apertures 1:2 in its side walls. These, apertures may he of any Suitable shape or size and may he, located in any convenient or suitahle place in the wa'li oi the chamber.

Adjacent the top of the chamber l1 is a pipe M which has a plurality of fine, holes 1i, through which wafer may be sprayed downwardly in iront oi" the. apertures lo .of

the, charnhcr ll. A wafer container 15 catches any excess of water and serves as a water storage reservoir. Said container may he conveniently located at the bottom of the chamber il, or may be, a separate container as shown in Figs. Q and 3. i

ln the bottom of container l5 is led pipe l S connocied to a pump l? which may be" of any sint-able kind, which is connected by means of pipe, 18 to the, porfoated spray pipe, 13 located within the, chamber 1-1.'

lurnp 17 may he driven hy means of shaft i9 connected to the internal combustlon en- .t will be. evident. 'that in the operation of gine l` or any other suiahlo source, of power.

my device, the *ater being sprayed from the apertures. 1i in pipe 13 produces a Wall of Water in a finely divided state about the fcarbllreter, so that air entering into any of It too high a degree of humidity is proy duced, it may be reduced by reducing the number of apertures and consequently increasing the velocity'of the air,. or by decreasing the number of holes vla in the pipe 13, thus `roducing fewer streams in front of the apertures, therebycovering them to a` lesser extent.

In Figs. 2 and 3, I have shown a modification of my apparatus which consists in covering an aperture in a chamber 21 with "a screen 22 which may be of any suitable` mesh to produce the desired results. Water is directed upon the screen 22 by means of a trough 23 extending across the chamber 21 and communicating with the screen 22,

- Water being admitted through rpipe 24 to the trough from container 25. he water is thus distributed over the screen 22 through which the air taken by the carbureter passes, and thus forms a wall of Water in a finely divided state for the air to contact with. Any excess of water is drawn off through the pipe 26 and returned to the container 25, if desired.

In Figsmiand 5,1 have shown a moditication of my invention which consists in placing an atomizer adjacent to the air inlets 27 of a closed chamber 28.l The atomizer may consist of a pipe 29, which may be arranged to terminate inthe Water con* tainer 30 located at the bottom of the chamber 28 and an air pipe 31 supplied with compressed air from any suitable source. In this modifi'tf-qion of my invention, I may, by immersing the lower end of the pipe 29 in the Water dispensewvith the return pump altogether, the excess of water falling to the bottom of the chamber and being drawn up again through the pipe 29. Fromfthe foregoing description, it will be seen that the various modifications of my invention illustrated in the drawings are intended to be illust ative'only and are not intended to indicate the only Ways in which my invention may be carried out.

1li/*hat I claim is:

1. In a device of the kind described, an internal combustion engine, a fuel mixing device having an air inlet connected to said engine, and means for causing the air admitted to said air inlet to pass through a curtain ot" water in a finely divided state.

2.' In a device of the kind described, an internal combustion engine, a fuel mixing device having an airinlet, and means for interposing a curtainA of Water in a finely divided statevlietween said air inlet and the outer air.

3.111 a device of the kind described, an internal combustion engine, a fuel mixing device connected thereto, au apertured chamber surrounding the fuel mixing device, and means for producing a curtain of a fiuid'in a finely divided state over said apertures.-

4. In a device of the kind described, an internal combustion engine, a carburetor, an apertured chamber surrounding said carbu reter, and means for producing a spray of Huid in front of said apertures.

5. In a device of the kind described, an internal combustion engine, a carbureter having an air inlet connected tliereto, an apertured chamber surrounding said carbureter, ano' means whereby air supplied to said air inlet is drawn through said apertures and Water.

6. In adevice ot' the kind described, an internal combustion engine, a carbureter connected thereto and having a plurality of air inlets, an apertured chamber surrounding said carbureter, and means for producing a spray 0i' Water in a lfinely. divided state in front of said apertures,whereby air entering any of said inlets is drawn through said apertures and through the Water.

7. In a device of the kind described, an internal combustion engine, a carbureter connected thereto, an apertured chamber surrounding said carbureter, means located adjacent the top of the chamber for spraying water adjacent the walls of the chamber, a water inlet to said chamber, aY 'Water container communicating with Said4 chamber, and means whereby Water may be drawn from said container and supplied to the Water inlet.

8. In a device of the kind described, a carbureter, an apertured chamber surrounding said carburcter, a Water container communicating With vsaid chamber and means, communicating with said Water container, for forming ajvall of Water in front of said apertures.

In testimony whereof have signed my name to this specification this 29th day of r ugust, 1917. 

